India vs Bangladesh: Statistical review

From 1988 to 2014, India hava played a total of 40 One-Day International (ODI) matches in Bangladesh. A look into the statistics throws up some interesting details. Shiamak Unwalla looks at some of these stats with an eye on the three-match ODI series starting on Sunday.

India have done quite well in Bangladesh in the past. Of course against Bangladesh, India’s record is excellent. Among the 18 times Bangladesh have hosted India in ODIs, the visitors have won 16 times. However, of the 40 games India have played in Bangladesh, they have won 26 and lost 13 of them.

Overall record in Bangladesh:

Team

M

Won

Lost

NR

India

40

26

13

1

India’s batting has invariably done well in Bangladesh. As many as four of the five highest team totals scored in Bangladesh have been by India.

Highest totals by India:

Total

Opponent

370 for 4

Bangladesh

348 for 5

Bangladesh

330 for 4

Pakistan

330 for 8

Pakistan

316 for 7

Pakistan

The ability to score big runs on the low and slow tracks of Bangladesh is just one more feather in the Indian batting arsenal’s cap. Scoring big runs quickly is a specialty of most subcontinent sides, and as seen above, India have had their fair share of big scores mainly at the cost of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Top Indian batsmen:

Batsman

M

No

R

HS

Ave

SR

100s

50s

Virat Kohli

13

3

921

183

102.33

102.1

5

3

Sachin Tendulkar

16

0

827

141

51.68

98.56

2

5

Sourav Ganguly

17

2

736

135*

49.06

76.5

2

5

Gautam Gambhir

19

1

732

107*

40.66

85.51

3

3

Virender Sehwag

16

0

724

175

45.25

118.49

1

4

As seen above, Kohli is by far the best Indian batsman in Bangladesh, having scored the most runs despite playing the least number of games. His strike rate is second only to Virender Sehwag’s and his highest score of 183 is also the highest on the list.

Indian batsmen with best averages:

Batsman

M

No

Ave

SR

Virat Kohli

13

3

102.33

102.1

Suresh Raina

11

5

70.6

104.12

M Dhoni

17

6

61.12

93.14

Sachin Tendulkar

16

0

51.68

98.56

Sourav Ganguly

17

2

49.06

76.5

Again, unsurprisingly, it is Virat Kohli who leads the way quite clearly. The closest batsman to him averages over 30 runs less per innings. While Suresh Raina’s strike rate is marginally higher, Kohli dwarfs him in terms of the sheer number of runs scored.

Most hundreds by Indian batsmen:

Batsman

M

100s

50s

Virat Kohli

13

5

3

Gautam Gambhir

19

3

3

Sachin Tendulkar

16

2

5

Sourav Ganguly

17

2

5

The nearest batsman to Kohli on this list, Gautam Gambhir, has scored almost 200 runs fewer, and at an average of less than half of Kohli’s. Even his strike rate is around 16 less. Again, Kohli outstrips his closest competitor comprehensively.

Highest partnerships by Indian batsmen:

Batsman

R

Opposition

Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane

213

Bangladesh

Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli

205

Sri Lanka

Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli

203

Bangladesh

Sourav Ganguly, Robin Singh

179

Pakistan

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

172

Pakistan

At this point, it seems merely a formality to point out Kohli features four times in this list. It makes sense considering that he has scored more runs than any other Indian in Bangladesh, but as this table reflects, it has not been just him scoring every time. Even the other batsmen have stepped up time and again.

Kohli is the best Indian batsman in Bangladesh by a long margin. He is at the top of the list in terms of number of runs scored by an Indian batsman, highest score by an Indian batsman, most centuries by any batsman, highest average by ANY batsman (only Angelo Mathews’ average is higher due to the fact that he has been not-out 70 percent of the time), and features in four of the top five highest partnerships by Indians in Bangladesh. The only list in which he does not feature prominently is the one given below.

Top Indian bowlers:

Bowler

M

W

Ave

SR

Ajit Agarkar

13

11

22.7

29.7

Sachin Tendulkar

16

3

20.52

24.4

Javagal Srinath

7

6

21

25.7

Ravichandran Ashwin

7

4

22.71

29.4

Harbhajan Singh

10

4

25.92

34.2

Ironically, the one list that doesn’t feature Kohli has Sachin Tendulkar at the No 2 spot yet again! It seems slightly comedic but Tendulkar has had more success with the ball in Sri Lanka than the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath!

(Shiamak Unwalla is a reporter with Cricket Country. He is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic who likes to pass his free time by reading books, watching TV shows, and eating food. Sometimes all at the same time. You can follow him on twitter at @ShiamakUnwalla)

First Published on June 15, 2014, 10:01 amLast updated on June 15, 2014, 4:37 pm